David Merrill > Recent Status Updates

I did not like the ending of the first novella, Escape Attempt. It tied up the loose ends, but for me it took away from the horror of the first contact.

The first novella, Escape Attempt wuss quite good. It's a first contact story I really enjoyed. A good example of what happens when you assume you understand how things should work without understanding not everyone thinks the way you do, particularly someone from an alien culture.

A dark end of civilization novel. With the loss of all grass related grains, livestock die and people begin to starve and fight over the food that's left. Tribes form around leaders, leaving two brothers fighting against each other. An interesting read.

You can see what I thought of this book by looking at my posts in the February 2014 group read with The Evolution of Science Fiction group.

OK, so when I'm anemic, I tend to read kids books because I just don't have the attention span for something more. This one is really weird. I can't get a handle on how old Judy Bolton is supposed to be. Sometimes she sounds like she's maybe 10, other times maybe early 20's. her grandmother is downright mean in the opening chapter.

This book is a really slow read, despite its interesting subject matter. I think it's largely due to it being told from the perspective of the character most removed from the main action of the story. I have no idea why Wyndham would choose to dip this. It leaves the reader just as removed from the story. He may have done it to justify the 8 year gap between parts one and two.

I've wanted to read another Wyndham book for a long time. After rereading Triffids, I found Re-birth at a library book sale last week. For some reason, it grabbed me ahead of the others I already own. It's quite good, if a little slow initially. It's Post-apocalyptic, taking place after a nuclear war. A society based on eliminating all mutants, plant, animal or human.

I'm really liking the premise of this book. It takes place in China, 1950 when the PRC seized all US holdings, allowing Dick to reduce and isolate the cast of characters in the present to 3. Other characters come up in flashback. Their situation is rather surreal, the sole occupants of a large company's holdings in a foreign land. They can do anything they want, but will they?

Very much enjoying this novel, one of PKD's earliest non-SF works. It seems like it could end up being my favorite of his non-SF books. Characters are well drawn and flashbacks are engaging. Hard to put down.

I'm making my way through this book quickly. It's a lot different than the other bios I've read of Dick. It's his wife Anne's search for an understanding of the dissolution of her marriage to him and what happened after. It's not objective at all and not intended to be. Anyone who has ever been in a failed relationship with someone with mental illness will understand this book. It gives a new perspective on PKD.

I've read three other biographies of Philip K. Dick, the ones by Lawrence Sutin, Paul Williams and Greg Rickman. I like the Rickman book the best of the three. This one was written by one of his ex-wives. Knowing as much of PKD's story, it's interesting getting Anne Dick's perspective on different incidents I've read about from a biographer's perspective. I'm also liking the snippets from his novels written

I've read three other biographies of Philip K. Dick, the ones by Lawrence Sutin, Paul Williams and Greg Rickman. I like the Rickman book the best of the three. This one was written by one of his ex-wives. Knowing as much of PKD's story, it's interesting getting Anne Dick's perspective on different incidents I've read about from a biographer's perspective. I'm also liking the snippets from his novels written at the ti

I was interested in the fact that the term, "hanging out" is as old as this book.